


Thoughts of a Family

by MelyndaR



Series: My Ingenious Family series [6]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 11:37:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 6,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3118718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelyndaR/pseuds/MelyndaR
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the team takes a trip to Chicago plus two, Leah and Reid's carefully hidden secret begins to come to light without their knowledge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, this is the prologue. The story starts in the next chapter.

"Yeah. It's just, um, I bought you something." He pulled a jewelry box out if his messenger bag and laid it on the table. "For you."

It wasn't small enough to be ring box. She wished. Sigh.

"Thanks." Leah said, picking it up and opening it.

The noise of cardboard sliding against cardboard was loud in the utter silence of the café. A sterling silver bracelet rested inside. There were engravings on both sides. It was the front that caught her attention. Seven plants, most white flowers, were engraved in it.

Wait a second. A white lily: that stood for Virginity; Purity; Majesty; its Heavenly to Be with You. She smiled, then looked at the second flower, ACACIA BLOSSOM: Concealed Love; Chaste Love. Third, white violet: Let's take a Chance on Happiness. In the middle, a green maidenhair fern: Secret Bond of Love. The fifth, stephanotis: Happiness in Marriage.

She began to shake a little.

Sixth, daisy: Innocence; Loyal Love; I'll Never Tell; Purity. Seventh, white carnation: Sweet and Lovely; Innocence; Pure Love; Woman s Good Luck Gift.

She turned it around with shaking hands and read the engraving on the back. Per voi, l'amore della mia vita, il mio unico. Mia moglie.  _For you, the loveof my life, my only. My wife._

"Spencer?" She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Is this a- your- are you proposing?"

"Yes. If you want it. You don't have to, and I understand if you don't, and-"

"Yes." Leah stopped him. "Yes, Spencer. I accept."

She put the bracelet on and kissed him.

He blinked. "Yes?"

"Yes. A thousand times yes. Always, always yes.

"Why a bracelet, Spencer? Why not a ring?"

"For when we're on cases. People will think we're less professional if they know we're married. This way you can wear it all the time. And we can wait to tell your parents if you want."

"Or if you want."

He nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

Twenty days into it, and the new year had all ready thrown three new boys into the BAU family possibly four, depending on what Leah Prentiss-Reid's baby turned out to be. Hers and Spencer Reid's baby, that was.

_A baby!_

Probably more than one due to that stupid pill she'd taken back in when she'd lived in Rome.

"Leah?" Spencer asked when she stepped out of the bathroom after taking the pregnancy test.

"I'm pregnant."

They'd known it was coming, but neither knew how to act, what to think. Leah, though, underneath everything else felt a flicker of excitement and protectiveness over the barely there baby(s) even happiness.

On the way to their jobs at the BAU, Leah called her  _papa_ , John Cooley, an OB/GYN, and set up an appointment for after work. They needed to find out the number of kids, and discuss it accordingly.

But that was not to be. As soon as she stepped into her media liaison office, she noticed a case that demanded immediate wheels up.

A gang leader had escaped police custody in Chicago, and they wanted the BAU to help them find him. Leah presented the case to Hotch and quickly debriefed the others.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, Hotch, can I run and pick up Garcia and Rich to take with us?" Morgan asked Hotch. "I'm ready to go, and I'll have her here before we're ready to go. Mom would love to see the baby. I know Penelope's off right now, but I think the change of scenery would be good for her. She could stay with my mom the whole time. They'd be good for each other, especially right now."

"I agree. Be sure and hurry though."

As Hotch turned away, Morgan pumped his fist and hurried to his car while calling Penelope. He'd been worried about the new mother, widowed the same night her baby had been born. If anyone could help Penelope, Derek was sure it was Fran Morgan.


	4. Chapter 4

Penelope Garcia - she'd nixed the Lynch part as soon as she'd been released from the hospital - loved watching her BAU family at work. Even throwing Leah in as the new media liaison, something that they had assumed would upset the team dynamic, had only made them stronger as a team.

Sitting in the back of the jet, holding her infant son, Rich, she watched them all. Hotch sat to the side of the jet, effectively at the front of everyone else. Emily Prentiss, his girlfriend and Leah's mom, stood beside him. Morgan and JJ sat on one side of the table around which they were all clustered. Leah and Rossi sat on the other side. And Reid, Reid was heading towards her.

She smiled at him and he returned the smile, asking, "Can I hold him?"

The request surprised and delighted Penelope and she willingly handed Rich to the elder of the two geniuses aboard the plane, Leah being the other. Reid adjusted the sleeping baby in his arms and went back to stand beside Leah, his girlfriend.

Leah looked up at Boy Genius when he came over. Was it Penelope's imagination or did something flash between the duo when Leah registered Rich in Reid's arms? Huh.

She would have plenty of time to ponder it once they got to Chicago. Ever since the team had met Morgan's family, whenever they took a case in Chicago, they would stay with the three Morgan women, mom and two daughters, and on the rare occasion that the case ended towards the end of the week, they took a mini-vacation over the weekend.

And it was looking like this was going to be one of those cases.


	5. Chapter 5

Once in Morgan's hometown, they hit the ground running. They finally got eyes on their subject, Shane Porter, at around 10 p.m. Leah, Morgan and Prentiss were closest, all ready on the streets, and so they took off towards him. Reaching the warehouse where he was hiding out, Morgan and Prentiss took opposite directions around the building, hoping to catch him around back.

Morgan looked at Leah and pointed to the ground.  _Stay here._ And off they went, leaving Leah with her hand on her holster - glory, she was glad for thing – and looking around by the light of a few scattered street lamps.

A minute later, Leah heard a man running in her direction. Shane Porter dashed around the side of the building, heading straight towards her. He was upon her in a second. He punched her in the cheek when she didn't let him pass. She stayed up right, even as her head snapped back. In this light, she realized, he couldn't see her holster or handcuffs. She rammed her knee into his groin, and he dropped to his knees, screaming unrepeatable oaths.

"Thanks for saving me the trouble of having to tell you to do that." Leah said, whipping out her cuffs and applying them to the convict. "Shane Porter, you're under arrest."

Morgan came around the side of the building, gun drawn. He dropped his arm down to his side once he caught sight of Leah.

"Okay, once again, I'm impressed."

"Thanks. Just doing my job." Leah yanked Porter roughly to his feet as Emily came around the other side of the building.

"Did you do that?" Emily asked as Leah helped the man into the back of the van.

" _Si_."

"Did he do that?" Emily gestured to Leah's cheek, tilting her face so she could get a better look in the dim light.

"Mo-om! It's nothing. I'm fine. Really, It's okay. It doesn't even hurt."

Emily gave her an "I know better" look.

"That much." Leah amended.

"Come on, you two. Let's get our friend here back to the station, so we can get some sleep." Morgan headed towards the van and the two women followed.

Morgan flung his arm around Leah's shoulder. "First hand-to-hand, huh? You're now officially Agent Prentiss."

"It wasn't even really hand-to-hand. And it's Dr."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My plot bunny developed a mind entirely of it's own while I was writing this scene. :)

Spencer went with Hotch, Garcia, JJ, Rossi, and Rich to the Morgan's as soon as Morgan called Hotch and told him they had Porter.

Spencer was glad that Morgan had given Hotch a key to the house, since Morgan never bothered to call Mrs. Morgan - who had in her own way adopted Spencer into her little family - that they were coming. He preferred instead to surprise her and his sisters either at obscene hours of the night or the next morning with the presence of the entire team all ready in her house, usually by that time in their pajamas since the team had a more relaxed home base in her house. But neither the blessed woman, nor her daughters, Sarah or Desiree, seemed to mind.

Once at, and inside, the house, Hotch took over one spare bedroom for him and Emily. Rossi took one of the bunks in Morgan's old room, the other being reserved for the previous occupant. JJ, Garcia, and Rich claimed the third and final spare bedroom, which left the living room couches for Spencer and Leah. All this went about without a word, because that was how it had always been, ever since the nasty case with Carl Buford. And that was fine with him.

Leah, Emily, and Morgan trooped in twenty minutes later, Morgan making no attempt to be quiet.

As Spencer had expected them to, the three Morgan women tip-toed into the room in silence. They came in age-order, Fran, Sarah, and then Desiree. What Spencer hadn't expected to see was what they held. Each carried a top-of-the-line handgun.

He was about to call out to them, when Fran looked at him in the darkness and put a finger to her lips. A Morgan-like smile, in other words, a completely rotten one, curved at Sarah's lips as she grinned at him. They knew exactly what they were doing.

"Drop to your knees or the pretty boy dies." Desiree said in a voice substantially deeper than her own.

Morgan and Emily instantly complied, even as members of the team came to stand in the doorway. All were smiling.

"Do it." Morgan spoke to Leah.

Don't turn around." Desiree ordered.

"Reid is on the couch in the other side of the room." Morgan supplied.

Only then did she comply with the "criminals'" wishes.

All three women laid their guns on the coffee table. Everyone laughed, quietly so as not to wake up Rich. Morgan jumped up, as did Emily. Leah got up slower, looking around in confusion.

Mrs. Morgan asked, "Who's the new kid?"

"Mom, this is Leah." Morgan introduced. "Leah this is my mom, Fran Morgan."

" _The_ Leah?" Sarah asked.

Spencer didn't like the way she said that. Morgan nodded.

"Nobody was in danger here?" Leah asked.

"Nope. Never." Spencer said, getting up from the couch and padding over to her in sock-feet.

"And you sat there and watched?"

He nodded.

She slapped him. Hard. "Spencer Reid, I'm going to  _kill_ you!"

"Two different people threatening to kill me in one night, I think that's a record for even me."

She continued her tirade, having yet to lift her face to his.

He tipped her chin so he could look her in the eye. "I lo- What happened?"

"She's definitely the Leah." Mrs. Morgan said.

"Oh, that." Leah tried to brush his hand away. "Porter didn't like it that I stood between him and freedom."

Spencer looked at her still flat midsection. "Is the-" Realizing what he'd almost let slip, his eyes flew back to her face. "-Everything okay?"

She smiled up at him. "Everything is definitely fine. It was just this." She pointed to her cheek.

"Good."

"Reid, I'll warn you with this." Morgan said. "She cracks jokes like Elle, handles getting beat up like Emily." Spencer winced at that. "Acts like JJ when on-screen, and in the field, is her father's daughter."

Leah beamed at the compliments Morgan had just given her, those he'd meant to and those he hadn't. Spencer just wished people would quit pegging her as Hotch's. He was a very protective, at times vindictive, man, and Spencer didn't look forward to telling him that they'd practically eloped.

"Back to bed everybody." Fran ordered. "Sarah and Des have to get ready for the night shift at the hospital. And if anybody wakes up that baby, it's blood on their hands, and they'll be the one putting him back to sleep. Don't you agree, Penelope?"

She did, eagerly.

"So off to bed with you."


	7. Chapter 7

As Desiree was getting ready to go to her job as a night-nurse at the local hospital, she heard moaning and the like coming from the living room.

"It sounds like Spencer's girlfriend is having a nightmare." Sarah observed.

As they listened, they heard Spencer get up to comfort her, and then they heard faint  _bump, bump, bump_ s coming from the living room. What in the world?

When she headed to the living room with Sarah right behind her five minutes later, she stopped in her tracks at the sight before her.

"Sarah, look!" Desiree ordered, all ready pulling out her phone and turning on the camera.

The cushions had been taken off of both couches and pushed together in the middle of the floor. And on them were Spencer and Leah, wrapped in each other's arms and covered by a purple afghan. It was too cute to pass up. Not to mention the blackmail she would be able to get for these photos.

Funny, Spencer seemed like the sort of guy who would reserve sleeping together for being married.


	8. Chapter 8

JJ almost swallowed her tonsils the next morning when Leah came into the kitchen where everyone was congregated eating breakfast. She caught Garcia's eye and nodded toward Leah. Garcia's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

Leah was wearing her pajamas, like everyone else. More specifically; she was wearing a pair of pink Minnie-mouse sleep pants, and a baggy orange and white CIT t-shirt, a man's. JJ would bet her week's pay it was Spence's shirt.

Leah flopped down in the only un-spoken-for chair at the table, between Spencer and Sarah. Spencer got up and went into the kitchen section of the room.

"I thought you went to Yale." Hotch said, looking at her.

"I did."

"Where'd you get a CIT shirt, then?"

"Spencer gave it to me."

"Oh?"

"Haven't you noticed he never wears monogrammed stuff?"

"No. We aren't casually dressed around each other all that often."

Leah shrugged. "College was different."

"I see." Hotch accepted her answer and went back to his waffles.

JJ stared at her still. Leah jumped when she noticed. JJ would bet another weeks pay that there was something else going on behind the scenes.

Spencer put a plate of waffles in front of Leah.

Leah looked up at him. "You know I don't eat breakfast unless it's your waffles."

"Well, you should try these. There the original recipe." He sat back down.

"I don't feel well. My stomach is weird. I'm not even hungry."

"Are you sick?" Emily asked, going over to place her hand on Leah's forehead.

"I'm just not hungry." Leah brushed her mother's hand away.

"You need to eat, Bella." Spencer said, giving her a mildly reproving look. "Your dad..."

Leah glared at him. "I know it, I know it."

"Then do it."

So she ate.

JJ sat puzzling that odd exchange. "Excuse me." She murmured, going into the morning chill to call Caleb.

"I thought I was off." Caleb answered his cell.

"And a good morning to you, too, sweetness." JJ answered.

"I was playing in the snow with Henry and Danny." Caleb explained.

"So Henry's doing okay?" She'd been a little worried about leaving her son with her tentatively-titled-as-such boyfriend.

"Oh, yeah. Him and Danny are best buds, apparently."

"Good. Hey, listen."

"Here comes the work part of the call."

"It's personal this time." JJ said. "Can you find out who Leah's dad is?"

"Um, yeah, give me a second. Dr. John Cooley."

"He lives in D.C.?"

"Georgetown."

"Oh. Caleb, is there any chance – well, can you check Leah's recent medical activity, within the past two weeks?"

"Anything for you, darlin'. Huh. Hold on. She put a lock on it. If it's not coming from one of the hospital staff, you can't open it. I can't get in. Why am I doing this again?"

"Because you are a loving, wonderful, guy who would do absolutely anything to win the affections of a pretty lady."

"I thought I all ready had that."

"Sweet." A thought struck her just then. "Check for a marriage license."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Okay. And we have noth- Holy mother Mary!"

"What?"

"On January first, 12:05 a.m., Leah Prentiss signed a marriage license and became Leah Prentiss-Reid."

"Oh! My! Word! Garcia is going to die! And Emily and Hotch - oh, sweet mercy, Emily and Hotch! They don't know, do they?"

"Don't ask me. You're the one who's with them."

"I have got to talk to Reid and Leah!"

"I wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"If they haven't told Hotch and Prentiss, you shouldn't confront them. Let them tell in their time."

"Is a pregnancy a valid reason to lock your med records?"

"Oh, man. Maybe, for them. Considering who her parents are, definitely."

"What do I do?"

"Nothing, I guess. They'll tell in their time. If she is pregnant, there's no way to hide it for too long, especially not from profilers. Worst case scenario, we find out in October-ish."

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Caleb. I'll call you tonight with an update. I've gotta go, bye."


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey, Derek, come here." Des waved Morgan over later on that day, pulling him into her bedroom and shutting the door, all the while wearing a giddy smile. "This has been burning a hole in my pocket all day. I have to show you!" She pulled her phone out of her pocket and pulled up a few photos of Leah and Reid. "Look!"

Morgan felt his jaw aim floor-ward as he realized what he was seeing.

"And that's not all. Last night, I noticed Leah's bracelet. So, while Sarah drove to the hospital last night, I looked up the meanings of the flowers on her bracelet."

She presented him with a list, smiling in delight at the shell-shocked look he was certain he wore. "Their married?"

Des nodded. "So what are you going to do?"

"I think I'll let them do this on their own. They have their reasons, I guess."

"Yeah. Agreed. I just thought maybe somebody from your team should know, for when you have a rough case."

"Right. Hey, good detective work."

"You're not the only Sherlock in this family."

"Just the middle one."

"Oh?"

"Mom. Duh."

"Be nice, Derek, or I'll tell Mom on you."

"I know you will, but you know she'll take my side."

"And why is that?"

"Because, little Sis, I am the good child."

She burst out laughing at the very thought. "That's not what I remember."

He hadn't really been that bad, had he? "Maybe I should ask Mom." He made as though he were offended.

"Maybe you should."


	10. Chapter 10

Fran Morgan was chopping tomatoes for dinner, but her thoughts were far away.

She was no profiler, but Spencer and Leah's little exchange about "everything" being okay had stuck with her at the back of her mind. She wasn't sure though, but the "everything" he'd glanced at sure had seemed like he could've been talking about a baby.

Spencer, though, had more morals then to father a child with a woman other than his wife. Especially considering that it seemed as if Agent Hotchner had taken the girl in as a daughter. And she actually was Agent Prentiss' daughter.

"Derek, can I ask you something?" she asked her passing son.

"Yeah, sure. What do you need?"

"How close are Spencer and Leah."

Derek grinned. "Well, as of last night they were sleeping together. But beyond that I'm held to confidentiality."

"Even to your mother?"

"Sorry, Mom." He kissed her on the top of the head and jogged outside.

Penelope was walking past the kitchen a minute later, and Fran called her over as well. "Derek's worried about you." Fran said quietly, putting the diced tomatoes in a bowl and stopping to look at Penelope.

"I know." The tech sighed. "Him and Hotch both."

"They expect you to grieve, Penelope. It's totally normal, healthy even."

"I know, and I do grieve. It's just, I didn't really love him, Fran. I was so afraid of no one ever thinking of me like he thought he did, I said yes before I thought, and by the time I did think about what I had done, I was married and pregnant. I grieve for him as a friend, but that's all. Neither one of us were happy in that excuse for a marriage."

"Have you told Derek and Agent Hotchner that?"

"No. I don't think they'll understand."

"Maybe you should give it a try anyway."

"But Derek has women falling at his feet, and Hotch was always happy with his whoever he's with, Haley and Emily either one."

"Derek doesn't see those women as much as you think he must, Penelope. And, I know I'm not one to judge, but Agent Hotchner's job was and is a great part of his life, and if I had someone as significant to me as Haley was to him asking me to quit doing what I love, I don't know that I could be happy in that relationship.

The point is that they want what's best for you, though their ideas of what that is may be different from yours."

"But I feel so guilty some times, even so, because I can move on, because I'm not falling apart."

"If Kevin loved you, he'd want you to be happy. If he didn't, then he's not worth the guilt."

They worked together in silence for a minute as Penelope considered her words.

"I need to go talk to Derek and Hotch." Penelope decided, brushing her hands on a dishtowel.

Fran nodded. "And Penelope, I know now may not be the time to mention it, but I meant what I said about Derek not caring for those other girls."


	11. Chapter 11

Spencer was outside shoveling snow off the walkway with Morgan and Hotch when Garcia came out and claimed the attention of the other two men, herding them inside, citing that they needed to talk. Des came out a minute later, shrugging on her coat.

"Do you want some help?" She didn't wait for him to answer before she picked up one of the deserted shovels and dug in. "I wanted to be the first to congratulate you."

Spencer looked up at her. She meant to cause trouble, he could tell. "On what?" He was almost afraid to ask.

"Being a married man, of course."

"How do you know about that?" His voice came out an octave higher than it should have.

"I decoded Leah's bracelet on my way to work."

"Who have you told?"

"Just Sarah and Derek. And I swore both of them to secrecy. You're safe. Why wouldn't you tell?"

"We both agreed that we don't want to mess up the dynamic of the team. Besides that, the brass may put one of us on a different team if they catch wind of it. So please, please, don't tell anyone else."

"All right, I won't."

Promise me, Desiree Morgan."

"I promise."

"I will hold you to that."


	12. Chapter 12

Derek took his dinner plate into the living room where everyone was eating said dinner. He was in a rather solemn state of mind as he mulled over what Penelope had told him, and Hotch too. He still didn't know what to make of it, the whole situation, really.

Hotch was adamant that they treat her carefully, but Derek knew that it only served to upset Penelope more. He wasn't at all sure what to do. He did what he knew to do though, and that was helping Penelope with Rich, not that he minded that at all. He loved that baby like he was his own son, and one day, maybe, hopefully, before year's end; he could make it so.

He wanted that even more now since Rich had been born, to make them his. His wife and son. He wanted to come home to them, to wake to them, to be with them, to be a part of them, as they all ready were to him.

But he couldn't ask that of Penelope, his sweet, somehow still innocent, Penelope. He'd seen what being a cop's wife had done to his mother, what being an agent had done to Rossi's three marriages, how it had torn Haley and Hotch's marriage apart. He loved her too much to ask her to do that for him, to make those sacrifices.

It had almost killed him when she had married Lynch. He'd tried to be happy for her, but he had never been able to be.

He was sorry that Lynch had turned out to be a cheating cur, but he was also glad that she didn't seem to be suffering as Hotch had suffered after Haley's death. For that he would always be grateful. Right then and there, in his mother's living room, surrounded by family and friends, Derek promised himself two things:

One: He would quit worrying because Penelope wasn't horribly upset over the death of her monster of a husband.

Two: He would do everything he could to help ease her worries, especially over being a single parent.

"Hey." Reid came over and sat down on the floor next to him, leaning in to speak quietly. "Des told me that she told you about Leah and me."

"She did. Congrats, Pretty Boy."

Reid smiled. "Thanks. I can't help but wonder what could have been, though."

"What do you mean?"

"If I would have told her, when I first knew I loved her- that really does sound sappy, doesn't it?- back when she was graduating college, what could have been? Would we have married sooner? Would we have never drifted apart? I wonder. I guess I'm doomed to wonder." Reid looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "Do you know what I mean?" It was a question that wasn't really a question. "I guess it just goes to show that there's no chance unless you take one."

Derek thought about that. Three: He would tell his Baby Girl exactly how he felt, maybe not now, but soon, very soon.

"Hey, Reid, isn't that a line from a song?" Derek asked.

"Yeah. But if the shoe fits, why not wear it?"

"Even if that shoe is almost always a florescent-colored high-heel?" Why on earth was he asking  _Reid_ this?

"In your case? Definitely."

 


	13. Chapter 13

"Okay, everybody," Desiree said after supper.

She was up to trouble again, Leah could tell at a glance. She held eight pieces of paper and as many pens in her hands, a wide smile on her lips.

"I have a little quiz for all of you profilers. Think of a significant other in your life. Got it?"

Leah nodded, along with everyone else. Easy choice.

"Okay." Des passed out the papers and pens, one per person. "This is from the man's standpoint so, men, think of what you've done for her, woman think of what he's done for you. This is the general idea of the perfect man. Part of it is some of the woman's thoughts too. Mark the things that have been done."

"What's the point?" Morgan asked.

"Mostly it's just to pass the time. Humor me, please?"

Morgan agreed and they all turned to their papers. Leah laid her head on Spencer's shoulder and began.

 _When she walks away from you mad Follow her._ He'd done that more than once. She had a temper.

 _When she stares at your mouth Kiss her._  She couldn't say that she'd ever done that, so he couldn't have either

 _When she pushes you or hit's you Grab her and don't let go._ With her temper, he'd done that more than once too.

 _When she start's cussing at you Kiss her and tell her you love her._ Check.

 _When she's quiet Ask her what's wrong._ Yup.

 _When she ignores you Give her your attention._ She'd never really made a practice of ignoring him to begin with.

 _When she pulls away Pull her back._ That had happened on their wedding night.

 _When you see her at her worst Tell her she's beautiful._ He'd done that the night Anderson had jilted her.

 _When you see her start crying Just hold her and don't say a word._ Also the night Anderson jilted her.

 _When you see her walking Sneak up and hug her waist from behind._ Not really his style.

 _When she's scared Protect her._ He'd done that during Kensington.

 _When she lays her head on your shoulder Tilt her head up and kiss her._  Not that she could remem- Spencer tilted her chin and kissed her quickly. Desiree laughed and said, "No cheating, you two." Check that.

 _When she steals your favorite hat let her keep it and sleep with it for a night._ Did his scarf count? He didn't really wear hats.

 _When she tease's you Tease her back and make her laugh._ All the time during college.

 _When she doesn't answer for a long time Reassure her that everything is okay._ Uh-huh.

 _When she looks at you with doubt Back yourself up._ He'd pulled her into more than one mishap during college doing that.

 _When she says that she likes you she really does more than you could understand._ So true.

 _When she grabs at your hands Hold hers and play with her fingers._ Once again, not really his style.

 _When she bump's into you bump into her back and make her laugh._ Another college thing.

 _When she tells you a secret keep it safe and untold._ Kensington was definitely a kept secret.

 _When she looks at you in your eyes dont look away until she does._ He did that some, too.

 _When she misses you she's hurting inside._ Wasn't that the truth!

 _When you break her heart the pain never really goes away._ He'd never broken her heart, and she hoped that he never would.

 _When she says its over she still wants you to be hers._ She'd never told him it was over.

 _Stay on the phone with her even if she's not saying anything._  They'd never really ran out of things to discuss.

 _When she's mad hug her tight and don't let go._ It annoyed her to death when he did that.

 _When she says she's ok don't believe it, talk with her- because 10 yrs later she'll remember you._  Leah burst out laughing. She circled that one numerous times. Spencer looked at her and smiled.

 _Call her at 12:00am on her birthday to tell her you love her._  He had more sense than to mess with her at that hour.

 _Call her before you sleep and after you wake up._ That had became a habit before she had became a liaison.

 _Treat her like she's all that matters to you._ He had and at times still did.

 _Tease her and let her tease you back._ Check.

 _Stay up all night with her when she's sick._ That was actually more annoying than one might think, when all she wanted to do was sleep. He had done it though.

 _Watch her favorite movie with her or her favorite show even if you think its stupid. "_ Princess Bride" was her favorite, and he'd tolerated it for her more than once.

 _Give her the world._ Not actually possible.

 _Let her wear your clothes._ Anybody remember that morning?

 _When she's bored and sad, hang out with her._ Once again, referencing getting jilted by Anderson.

 _Let her know she's important._ He did.

 _Kiss her in the pouring rain._ Not that one though.

 _When she runs up at you crying, the first thing you say is; "Who's butt am I kicking babe?"_ Making her feel better had always been his top priority.

"Done." Leah piped up.

"Me, too." Spencer said.

"It's only been a minute!" Des objected. "Let me see."

"That wasn't part of the deal." Spencer told Des.

"All right, fine. Do you want to play Uno while the others finish?"


	14. Chapter 14

The next afternoon, Fran drug Spencer and Leah with her to the supermarket, fully intending to get the whole story on what was going on between them. However, by the time they were leaving their last stop, an opportunity to discuss it had yet to present itself.

As they were exiting a bakery, Fran saw an old enemy of Derek's, Rodney, approach.

"Who's the Barbie doll?" Rodney drawled, grasping Leah's arm.

Before Leah could even pull her arm away, Spencer her all ready pinned Rodney up against the side of the building.

"If you ever," Fran couldn't remember ever hearing that much malice in the usually mild-mannered Spencer's voice. "Touch my wife again; I swear I will blow your brain to kingdom-come."

Without his minions surrounding him, Rodney was quick to back off, slinking back through an alley.

"Are you all right?" Spencer asked.

"I could've done that myself," was her answer.

"Your wife?" Fran asked.

Spencer bit his lip and nodded. So did Fran, slowly processing it.

"You're hiding that fact, I take it?"

Again he nodded as they walked towards the car.

"Are you pregnant?" Fran asked.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Spencer's comment about "everything" struck me as odd. I didn't actually know until you confessed."

"You know you can't hold out forever, right?" Fran asked, sliding into the car.

"Yeah."

"When are you going to tell them, then?"

"When the time is right." Leah said. Spencer just shrugged.

"That's not a good answer. You'll be telling them on the way to the hospital, if that's your plan."

"Yeah, well, we just found out yesterday, so nothing is really set in stone." Spencer said from the back seat.

"Or even a pebble." Leah said dryly.

"Time is going to fly, though. It'll be here before you know it. But, you've made your bed, so now you have to lie in it."

"That doesn't help." Spencer said. "It's a possibility that we could lose our jobs."

"I thought Derek said that the fraternization rules had been done away with?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what their views on marriage are, so we're playing it safe for now." Spencer explained.

"This is going to be a fun hole to watch you two dig yourselves out of. So what do her parents say about this?"

Spencer groaned aloud. "I don't even want to think about it!"


	15. Chapter 15

The rest of the weekend passed uneventfully and the night of the twenty-second found the team on the jet headed back to Quantico. They were catching what little sleep they were guaranteed, or at least they were trying to. Rich was in a mood to cry unless someone was walking the jet with him. And the someone who was pulling first shift was Leah.

Hotch listened half asleep to Leah's steady footfalls as she capped off thirty minutes of pacing. Emily was curled up asleep beside him, her head on his shoulder.

His sleep clogged brain registered a portion of the thin, gold chain around her neck. A promise ring hung on it, tucked inside her blouse. He smiled to himself, glad that he had finally gotten himself to talk to Strauss about just how far they would allow inner-Bureau relationships to go.

Reid uncurled himself from his place at the other end of the jet and went silently to Leah. "Here," he said. "Let me take him."

"I'm fine." Leah objected.

"You need your rest." A smile curved at the young man's lips. "And I might as well get used to it, right? I mean, won't Junior do this too when he gets here?"

"Or she."

"Or she." Reid consented.

"You're right." Leah handed Rich over to him. "Have fun."

She took the place Reid had vacated.

_I knew it!_

Did they really think they could slip their marriage past him, especially considering the fact that he had received copies of their marriage certificate to add to their files? Really? It was insulting.

So far as he was concerned though, they could take their time in telling the team. He'd all ready told Emily himself.

She'd had a bipolar moment, blowing her gasket before throwing a one-woman celebration. It had been hilarious, if not mildly frightening, to watch. He'd promptly sworn her to secrecy. He wanted to see how this turned out.

And the plot had just gotten a whole lot thicker.


End file.
